Christmas Eve Parties
by Spring Witch
Summary: The last Christmas Party Harry Potter actually enjoyed was in Seventh Year, when Draco Malfoy said he loved him. Without Draco, nothing about these parties is the same, but Harry will wait for Draco forever if he has to. HD xmas slash


Ok, so last year it was _The Mistletoe Sagas,_ and this year, while there _is_ mistletoe involved, it is not so much a saga as a cute, fluffy little piece about Harry and Draco. This year, I started a little earlier than Christmas Eve, and produced this at roughly one am on the 17th. Not bad ne?

I hope you enjoy this; it's the first Harry/Draco I've written in a while, since _Siren's Song_ I believe. And since the sequel isn't going so well at the moment, so I thought this would tide everybody over for a while.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related characters. I just keep them on one of the very full bookselves in my room and play with them at my heart's desire.**

Enjoy!

* * *

**Christmas Eve Parties**

**By Loveless Soul**

Harry never understood why he allowed himself to be roped into attending Hermione Weasley's Christmas Eve parties every year. It wasn't as though he actually _enjoyed_ them or anything. Still, he assumed that he always showed up out of duty to his two best friends.

At least the women, namely Ginny, had finally stopped throwing themselves at him. Being openly gay had its perks after all. Of course, it wasn't as though he was accepting any offers his fellow gays were making him either. No, Harry Potter, and his heart, belonged to one man and one man only, and said man would not be returning any time soon. I am referring to, naturally, none other than Draco Malfoy.

No one had heard from Draco Malfoy since the last day of their Seventh Year of Hogwarts. No even his lover, Harry Potter, knew where he had disappeared to. Nearly four years had passed, and Harry still waited for Draco to return, despite the whispers that he should forget the blonde Slytherin and move on. No, Harry would wait forever if he had to, for Draco to come home to him.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK**_

_It has been a Christmas Eve ball, in their Seventh Year, and the tensions between the Prince of Slytherin and the Gryffindor hero had reached an all time high, although nary a fight had broken out between them all year. _

_Harry, bored with watching from the sidelines as Ron and Hermione danced, made his way outside for some fresh air. He barely made it outside before he crashed into Draco Malfoy. _

"_Sorry." Harry mumbled._

"_Don't mention it." Malfoy drawled back. Much to Harry's surprise, Malfoy offered him a hand to help him to his feet. "Get bored of watching Weasley and Granger getting all lovey-dovey did we?" he asked. _

_Harry winced. "Yeah," he replied. "It's a little bit tragic really."_

_Draco snorted. "A little? It's downright pathetic!" he retorted, to which Harry only grinned in response._

"_Can you believe we're having a civil conversation?" Harry commented._

_Draco blushed. "I'm sick of fighting." He said softly. "Isn't there enough warring going on without us adding to it?" he asked._

"_You're right, there is." Harry agreed._

"_Can we be friends, Harry?" Draco asked, but to Harry, he sounded as though he was pleading with him._

_The Gryffindor smiled. "I'd like that, Draco." He replied softly. "But will being my friend make life difficult for you?" _

_Draco shrugged. "I've already managed to ruin my life on my own. Being your friend won't make much difference." He said._

"_How have you… oh Gods…" Harry whispered, shrinking away from the other boy. "You took the Mark didn't you?"_

_Draco nodded ruefully. "No by choice, I'm afraid. He threatened to hurt my family and my friends if I didn't join him, and I couldn't let that happen. I'm in love you see, and I'd never do anything to hurt him if I could help it." Draco grinned suddenly. "Of course, Voldemort said I had to join him; he never said anything about loyalty. I've been spying for Professor Dumbledore ever since I joined the ranks."_

_Draco looked at Harry nervously. "Of course, if you don't want to be friends with a Death Eater, I'll understand." They were walking through the gardens now. _

"_No," Harry said slowly. "I believe you."_

_Draco smiled, relieved. "I'm glad." He whispered, so softly that Harry could barely hear him._

_They walked in comfortable silence after that, eventually making their way back to where they started. "So, tell me about this guy you're in love with." Harry said._

_Draco smiled dreamily. "Well, he's kind of small for his age, which is perfect because he would fit perfectly in the crook of my neck. He's very beautiful, but he doesn't even realise it, with dark hair and green eyes. He laughs a lot and gets along with most people. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people, and he barely knows I exist let alone how I feel about him." Draco answered. He looked at the Gryffindor, to see if he had realised, but Harry was oblivious._

"_He sounds great." Harry told him._

"_He is." Draco replied sincerely. "He really is."_

_Harry looked at the doors to the Entrance Hall, and tried to ignore the sudden butterflies in his stomach Draco's smile had awakened in him. "I guess I should get back before Ron and Hermione send out search parties." He said softly. _

_Draco smiled and Harry's stomach flipped. "It was nice talking to you Harry." He said._

"_Yeah, you too." Harry replied, turning to go inside…_

_Only to be repelled by some form of barrier. Draco looked up, and a beautiful smile lit up his face. "Oh thank the Gods!" he breathed._

"_What is it Draco?" Harry asked._

_Draco pointed up. "Magical Mistletoe." He explained. "It won't let us leave until we kiss." _

"_Whaaaat?" Harry blanched._

_Draco's smile turned predatory. "But that's not all, Harry. Magical Mistletoe only works on people who have secret feelings for each other." He pressed._

"_I don't get it." Harry said, so adorably confused it made Draco's heart melt._

_His smile became tender. "It's very simple Harry," he said. "I love you." And he pressed his lips to Harry's ever so gently._

_Harry responded instantly, and without thinking. He twined his arms around Draco's neck and pressed his body against the blonde's. They broke the kiss some time later and felt the barrier fall._

"_You were talking about me? You think I'm beautiful?" Harry asked, dazed._

"_I was Harry, and you are the most beautiful person I know. I love you Harry." Draco confirmed, and Harry's heart leapt despite himself. "Be with me?" Draco pleaded softly._

_Harry's smile could have lit up the night sky. "Always." He said. "After all, I love you too. I may not have known it, but I have for a long time, I realise that now." Anything else he might have said was list in Draco's passionate kiss. When they broke apart, Draco whispered, "Promise me that no matter what happens in the future you'll wait for me."_

_Harry wondered at the strangeness of those words, but nevertheless, he knew that would wait forever is he had to. "Always." He answered._

_They never did find out who put the mistletoe there, but they suspected it was a certain twinkle-eyed Headmaster. And funnily enough, no one seemed surprised when Hogwarts' greatest rivals walked back into the Great Hall hand in hand. _

_The following months were the best either boy had ever had. but Draco disappeared the morning after graduation, vanishing from their bed in the Room of Requirement, leaving no trace but the Malfoy crest ring and a note that only said "Wait for me." _

_Harry had slipped the ring on his left ring finger, cried, and waited._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

* * *

Ever since then, Christmas parties just made Harry cry, his heart crying out for Draco. He still wore the Malfoy crest ring on his left hand, as a way of showing how his heart belonged to.

"All right Harry?" Ron's voice asked him.

Harry smiled lopsidedly. "Not really." He replied, his voice choked with emotion.

Ron gave him a one armed hug. "You will be mate, you will be." He said cryptically.

"Now dear, don't ruin the surprise." Hermione chided her husband.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Hermione's grin was positively wicked. "You're about to find out." She said.

Harry was about to demand an explanation from his friends when a hope filled voice called his name, a voice he hadn't heard in four years. "Harry?"

The brunette froze, scarcely able to breathe. "If I turn around, you'll still be there right? I'm not dreaming am I?" he asked, terrified that if he turned around it would all be a figment of his own imagination.

The voice laughed. "No my love, this is real, Leo."

And that was it. Only Draco called him Leo, in tribute to his Gryffindor tendencies.

Harry spun around and threw himself into Draco's waiting arms. "Oh Dray, it's really you!" He sobbed. "I thought I'd never see you again!" he cried harder. "I waited and waited, and I missed you so much I thought I would die!" he rambled.

Draco rocked him back and forth as he rambled, kissing his hair. "Shhhh… it's all right baby, I'm back and I swear I'll never leave you again." He whispered.

Harry turned his face up and kissed the blonde, who responded in kind. Harry's crying stopped, replaced by joyous laughter lighting up his eyes. "I love you, my Dragon."

Draco smiled back. "I love you too, Leo."

Harry pulled back enough to ask "What happened? Where have you been?"

"Voldemort found out I was a spy." Draco said. "I had to leave to keep you safe. It was all I could do to protect you. After the war ended, Dumbledore tried to help me, but Fudge didn't believe I was spying for the light. I was a wanted Death Eater until a few months ago."

"So where have you been the last few months?" Harry asked.

"He's been with us." Hermione answered.

"When Dad was elected Minister of Magic we approached him about Draco." Ron explained. "He agreed that if we could find him we could put him under Veritaserum and have him cleared. Dumbledore was a huge help."

"So we tracked him down, cleared him name and got him back in working order." Hermione finished. Harry realised how much work his friends had put into this; Ron as an Auror and Hermione as a Healer at St Mungo's.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"We wanted it to be a surprise." Draco said. "I was pretty beaten up from being on the run; it's taken me this long to recover."

The blonde smiled, "Besides, it's our anniversary, and I wanted it to be special." He added, getting down on one knee in front of his lover.

Harry gasped as Draco produced the Malfoy family engagement rings from his pocket. "Harry, I love you, and although our time together has been far shorter than it should've been, I should've been able to do this a long time ago. Harry Potter, will you marry me?"

Harry dropped to his knees beside Draco before launching himself back into his embrace. "Of course I'll marry you!" he laughed delightedly, oblivious to the cheering and applauding of the other guests.

As the two of them stood, kissing sweetly and rings now on their fingers. Harry pulled away long enough to hug his best friends. "Thank you." He whispered. "I don't know what I did to deserve friends like you."

"Absolutely nothing." Hermione said cheerfully. "But… you have been there for us when we needed you, and we just want you to be happy, Harry."

"Well I am happy, very happy." Harry replied. "Thanks to you."

"Don't mention it." Ron answered. "Now go home. You two need to catch up."

And they did just that, as Harry Apparated them into his apartment, Draco took him in his arms and kissed him as the clock struck midnight. "I love you, Leo."

"I love you too, Dragon."

They were silent for a long time before Harry spoke again.

"Draco?"

"Hmmm?"

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Harry."

**FINIS**

* * *

So there you have it. The first thing I've posted since school finished. I'm probably going to get my scores this week, so hopefully I'll be able to get into Uni next year! Wish me luck. 

For everyone who enjoyed this, please check out last year's Harry/Draco fic, and also check out my fic _Siren's Song._ If you enjoy that, I also have a Harry/Lucius fic entitled _Starting Over_ that you might find worth reading!

I hope to see reviews from you soon, if not, you'll all be getting coal for Christmas! MUWAHAHAHAHA!!!! Erm… I'm sane, really!

Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year to you all!

Loveless Soul.


End file.
